Working towards a greater Aotearoa by learning reo Māori
Mum of two, Kimberley Cleland is taking what she has learnt from her reo Māori studies through Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and passing it on to her young tamariki (children).
Kimberley believes that if more people learn reo Māori, understand and respect te ao Māori (the Māori worldview) and revitalise the language, then Aotearoa as a whole will be better off.
“I want my children to grow up understanding te ao Māori, tikanga and te reo because I think if all of those things thrive in New Zealand, then we will all thrive as well.”
The Tauranga local completed Te Rōnakitanga ki te Reo Kairangi, level 5 programme in 2022 and is now studying the level 6 Diploma in Te Aupikitanga ki te Reo Kairangi.
Kimberley appreciates that studying with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa hasn’t just been a basic journey of learning a language but she has also learnt about tikanga, te ao Māori and the history of te reo.
“Our kaiako (tutor), Rauangi challenged us to think deeply about things, not just the language, but why the language will thrive through revitalisation and some of the causes and impacts around what might be getting in the way of that.”
Not being of Māori decent meant that Kimberley felt extremely privileged to be studying the language while also facing some feelings of being whakamā (shy) when it came to studying reo Māori.
“As a Pākehā, I was always aware of not wanting to take up the space of somebody who has whakapapa (genealogy) and support others in their journey without detracting from their own reclamation and learning. Our journeys are so different because of the impacts of colonisation in Aotearoa.”
Thankfully the environment at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and the classroom setting that was created by Rauangi made Kimberley want to learn more, both inside and outside of the classroom.
“When you start the programme, you get to know people and you slowly become friends, but by the end of the year you are whānau and I think that is totally down to the study approach that Te Wānanga o Aotearoa has.”
Kimberley hopes to see more people who live in Aotearoa study and celebrate te ao Maori no matter their background.
“Rauangi made us feel like there was a place for everyone to learn and that there is a place for everyone to respectfully be involved in the revitalisation of the language. It has strengthened my ideas around what it is to be tangata tīriti (people of the treaty) in Aotearoa".
Find out more about our te reo Māori language programmes.
Pūrongo whakahirahira
Featured stories
Finding a deeper sense of self through te ao Māori
Moving to Aotearoa from rural Australia as a teenager, Lily Warring found herself wanting to learn more about the culture and language of the place she now called home.
A journey shaped by whānau and a love of tamariki
Members of Tayla-Marie Takawe’s (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Maniapoto) whānau were among the first tauira to graduate from the Bachelor of Education (Primary Teaching) at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
Reconnecting to te ao Māori through raranga
Haylee Roussel (Ngāti Rārua, Rangitāne, Ngāti Maniapoto) was searching for a way to reconnect with te ao Māori when she enrolled in the Certificate in Māori and Indigenous Art, Raranga, at the Waiwhero campus of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
Creating the spark for business success
With plenty of experience as an electrician, Josh Verstraten was ready to branch out from employee to business owner, but he knew running a successful business would require a new set of skills.
From financial stress to financial freedom for Auckland whānau
For Augustine Kopa, studying the Certificate in Money Management at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa was about creating a better future for her whānau.
Two generations, one reo Māori journey
When Melody Francis (Ngāti Kahungunu) saw the positive impact that studying te reo Māori had on her mum, she decided to jump on the waka and begin the journey alongside her.
Tikanga study boosts whānau presence on marae
Patrick and Donna Tobin (Ngāti Kahu) are a brother-and-sister duo studying tikanga alongside their wider whānau at Te Paatu Marae in Kaitaia, all working towards the betterment of their whānau, iwi, and marae.
A teacher’s path to understanding tikanga
Originally from South Africa, Franda Zondagh has called Aotearoa home since 2003, but it was through studying He Papa Tikanga with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa that she began to feel a deeper connection to the place she lives and people she serves in her mahi.
Leading by example and learning te reo Māori
Liisa Wharepapa’s (Te Whānau ā Apanui) journey with te reo Māori wasn’t something that happened overnight, it was a goal waiting to be pursued until the moment she felt ready to take that step.
Returning home and reclaiming te reo Māori
After many years away building his professional career, Logan Bertram (Whakatōhea), returned home to Ōpōtiki with a clear goal of reconnecting with his whakapapa and creating a better future for his young whānau.
